Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-04-22
SHIRLEY CARSTONE.
BY ELIZA ARCHARD.
tcopyrighted by the American Press Association !
CHAPTER XII

A FACE IN THE GLASS.
- Shirley was %
for six years she had been teacher of the
Linwood school. That was something. But
she had adopted other means to help on the
fortunes of the Carstone family.
~ may or may not be credit to a woman to
write for newspapers. 1t depends on what
she writes
The poem in which Shirleys heart was
bound up had to be put aside. At times she
wrote brief bits of verse as Of old, but not
often. There was no money in poetry.
Money the Carstones must have. Shirley
wrote short essays and sketches, and got paid
for them. SO thoroughly were the real and
the ideal blended in her nature that her
literary work was pointed especially with
strong, practical sense In truth, she caught
the ideal and made it the real That was her
way in all things.
She had no extraordinary and romantic
difficulties in getting modest newspaper en-
ployment. Her power was recognized there
from the first. That much in her life at least
was easy. But her existence had fallen into
such a humdrum rut that she sighed for
change day by day. She was the same
strong, bright spirit as of DID, ever ready for
what her hand found to do. But her life
seemed to her to be wearing itself out, like a
mill wheel that turns around and around in
one spot. She felt it sadly.
One morning, at the beginning of her vaca-
ton, Percy brought her letter from the
postoffice. 1t was from the editor of The
Morning Herald, for which she wrote The
letter was an answer to her silent thought.
1t read:
Dear Miss Carstone:
The Psyche physikethicological association
20 Ia1l
off in Langham. They meet day after to-
morrow. 1t is found advisable to print re-
port of their wisdom in The Morning Herald.
Will you so to Langham and report the
thing for us, and can you start at once
ED. MORNING HERALD.
p. S.-The State Insane asylum is at Lang
ham, If some of the inside lunatics escape
and get mixed with the outside lunes and go
to speechmaking, it will make the conven-
ton lvelier, but the proceedings will not be
any more difficult to understand.
To which she answered:
l will go, and can start at once
SHIRLEY CARsToNE.
That afternoon she sped away from Chester
ton on the wings of steam 1t was the first
time she had been away from home since the
death of her father, six years before The
frettings of her mother, the troublesome,
though well beloved children, the wearing,
petty cares indoors and out that narrowed
her without ceasing at home, were all left be-
hind Shirley was happy
Even the music mad young lady, who sat
behind her and trilled to herself for sixty
miles out did not annoy her.
She felt like bird out of cage The not
being appealed to a hundred times day, the
not having to plan and decide everything for
bar oil of rit
that she had not known for many a day. She
hkened herself to Christian in "Pilgrim's
Progress when the load slipped off his back.
She had a sense of freedom about her work
too, that was very grateful. Hitherto what
she wrote had TO he done in time snatched
from her rest, and at odd minutes between
other duties. 1t was what she had been
about evenings, when her mother had COM
planned that she did not look after the boys
Now at Langham she had her time to her.
self. She had nothing to do but write, e1-
cept to listen. For Shirley, listening was
easy, though it is not so for everybody. She
felicitated herself.
She made herself comfortable She had
pleasant room on the ground floor of a cot
tage overlooking little lake. All was clean
and rural and sweet, as Shirley loved to
have it.
Her work was not SO difficult either, for
brain and fingers had been trained to her
task.
There was one place where she liked best to
write. That was in corner of the grounds,
out under the trees. 1t was a nalf hidden
nook where a little table was, and rustic
seat. Hither Shirley HE'D every afternoon,
and put the finishing touches on her manu-
scripts.
1t was midsummer. Sometimes between
the tremendous deliberations of the institute
and the thermometer the day was very hot
The institute kindly accepted the aid of the
thermometer in making things hot 1t fell
on such an afternoon as this that Shirley
wore pretty white dress out to her favorite
corner under the trees. Shirley liked white
dresses As she went she stole red rose
from bush beside the walk and fastened it
IN her hair. Our girl was very beautiful.
gentleman who had stroled out alone in
the grounds, and happened to see her sitting
there thought SO. lie was a handsome, dis
tinguished looking man, with brilliant, dark
gray eyes. His face was a masterful one.
1t bore the stamp of thought, experience and
intellect.
He saw the lady sitting there with the
white dress, the red rose fastened in her crown
of light brown hair. She did not perceive
nlm one nau HnlSneu Dcr writing. She
threw her arm, the pencil still in her fingers,
carelessly along the twisted back of the rustic
seat Her head was raised and turned
slightly to one side, The regal pose, the no
BILE profile, the exquisite rose-tinted cheek
were very striking.
The man who stood there spell bound, had
he ever seen that face and figure, in just such
pose, the white dress the red rose and the
fair hairi Oh, heavenl There came sud-
den physical movement about his heart, as if
1t would break from his breast. He placed
his hand against tree to steady himself He
needed something to hold fast by. And yet
it had been six years.
Well, he would not startle her if he could
help it. He cracked a dead branch 20 make
some sound, and kept his face half hidden.
The lady heard the noise, and looked about
She saw mans figure and a half face. The
man watched her in side glanccs The face,
the outlines took for her a look OF something
well known and loved long ago lie turned